Release
by antea-aevum
Summary: [One-Shot] Takes place right after Sirius' death. Can Severus make Harry feel better? No slash.


**Disclaimer**: They don't belong to me.

**Storyline**: Takes place after Sirius' death.

Please please review! :) 

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**Release**

The day after tomorrow would be the day when he had to return to the Dursleys. Again. This time, there'll be nothing to keep him going, nothing worth for him to grit his teeth and go through the horrid summer. Even the thought of Hogwarts didn't seem welcoming although he had taken it as his lifeline once. Neither the thought of seeing Ron and Hermione could cheer him up. 

Sirius was dead. Gone. Forever. He had lost another person close to him. A person closer to him than blood. He had skipped dinner, had stayed near the fountain where he had saw his father playing with the snitch through Snape's thoughts, until all the students were up in their towers for bed. 

He knew that they had discovered him missing and were probably searching for him. Surprisingly, he didn't care. He wasn't even sure he wanted to return to Hogwarts ever again. He felt betrayed, cheated, angry, and most of all, pain. The feeling gnawed through his bare soul, the mere thought of Sirius increasing the pain and sorrow he felt tenfold. He sank to the ground hands on soft grass in a crouch. 

And let the tears fall. 

"Never crossed your mind that everyone would be searching for you, while you were out here gallivanting?" Snape's cold voice pierced through the air. "50 points from Gryffindor." 

Harry ignored his professor remaining exactly where he was. 

"Get up, Potter." 

Harry closed his eyes, unmoving. 

"50 points from Gryffindor for your ignorance. Would you care to make it a hundred?" Snape sneered. "Get up and go back to your tower!" 

Harry felt a surge of pure anger and hatred. He turned around slowly getting to his feet. "You get away from me." 

"Excuse me?" Snape said, a little taken aback. 

"Get. Away. From. Me." 

"50 points..." 

"DO YOU THINK I CARE!" Harry shouted. "DO I LOOK LIKE I STILL CARE WHETHER GRYFFINDOR WINS THAT STUPID HOUSE CUP?!" 

Snape was silent for once. 

"TAKE ALL THE POINTS, I DON'T CARE!" Harry bellowed. "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE." 

Snape drew out his wand. "Seeing that you are in this mentally challenged state, I shall have no choice but to stun you and - " 

Harry tore his own wand from his robes and leveled it with Shape. "Try me." 

"Harry James Potter, you are going straight to the Headmaster's office and I shall make sure you -" 

"SHUT UP!" Harry yelled. "Expel me for all I care! Or better still, kill me! You hate me, don't you? Kill me!" 

Snape lowered his wand. "Potter, I don't exactly hate..."

"If you don't want to, just keep out of my business." Harry turned and walked towards the Forbidden Forest, shoulders trembling with his urge to just break down and cry. Cry until he could cry no more. 

"He's dead! He won't come back, just get over it!" 

Harry turned around sharply. Walking back to Snape he grabbed the Potions Master by his collar. "You just think it's easy, don't you? You think it's just someone you can just forget? You are cold hearted, but don't expect everyone to be like you." He pushed the Potions Master away from him. 

"How would you feel if someone you were close to died? How would you feel when the last person you ever felt you could count on left you? Everyone has parents, all of them have people who loves them! I don't! Sirius was the only one who ever cared about me, he gave me someone whom I could count on, lean on at times of grief, share with at times of happiness." 

Harry paused for a moment, collecting his breath.

"And now he's gone. If you people would just bother to tell me not to believe in what I saw. No, everyone just ignored me. Occlumency this, Occlumency that. You had to just...just...to hell with all of you! Happy now? Happy that I caused the death of Sirius? That's what you wanted proven, isn't it? Potters are stupid and they all want to be heroes. Happy?" 

Harry looked at Snape, chest heaving but feeling lighter as he finally let out what he was feeling and thinking. Suddenly feeling extremely foolish and knowing it wasn't actually Dumbledore neither his professors fault and that he was just being ridiculous, he muttered, "Sorry. I just need to be alone. Please." 

Turning his back to his professor, he made his way past Hagrid's hut, disappearing into the night. Hagrid was at the door of his hut, he had come out to see what the commotion was, but he didn't say anything. Throwing a gaze at Professor Snape, Hagrid closed the door gently. 

Snape stood alone for a moment, looking at the last of his student's shadow as he finally disappeared from view. "150 points to Gryffindor for outstanding courage and bravery through times of sorrow." He said softly. 

In Hogwarts, a handful of rubies fell into the Gryffindor hourglass.

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"It's all going to be alright," Hermione told Harry unconvincingly, her eyes red from crying.

"I know," Harry said. He watched Hermione hesitatingly get down from the Hogwarts Express, turning around to take one last look at him before disappearing into the crowds. "One day."

"Take it easy," Ron was behind him. "We'll be here for you when you need us." He too, stepped down and immediately got swept into the crowd of people.

Harry nodded. He waited. Waited until everyone got down leaving him alone. Once he stepped out of the train, he would be back again in the Muggles' world. The world where no magic could exist. The world where Sirius never was. He felt like staying at the train for the whole of the summer. He was startled when a hand clasped onto his shoulder.

"Learn to let go, Potter. Many people still care about you, they just don't show it. The world's not over yet, Sirius would want you to go on. Be strong."

Before Harry could open his mouth, Professor Snape had disappeared into a compartment. 

"Harry! Come on!" Ron shouted from the platform. "Your uncle is here at the other side, Mom sent me back to get you!"

Harry took one last look at the compartment Snape was in and stepped down from the Hogwarts Express. Be strong. Surprisingly he felt better. 

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